I really must have been a baby at some point because I could eat pureed food exclusively for the rest of my life. That’s really not a joke. Well, duh, I was a baby (I’ve seen pictures and my parents tell me), but it’s not a joke that I could live off of purees, and happily. Consequently, I’ve mastered the super easy art of making them whenever I want.

In the three years that this blog has been alive, I haven’t once divulged what tools you need to make all of the things I share with you. How rude.

I don’t feel that bad, though. Because to tell you the truth, you don’t need much. You’ve been told you do, but you don’t. Promise me you won’t get sucked under the tsunami of kitchen gadgets at Bed Bath & Beyond or Williams-Sonoma. Don’t fall for the gimmicks of the single-use item. I’m looking at you, egg slicer, strawberry huller, avocado slicer, banana slicer. How about…. just using a good knife? In my opinion, these aforementioned tools are ridiculous and a giant waste of money. I don’t believe you need them.

During my miniscule existence on this earth, I’ve learned that when I proclaim love for anything, there is only one prerequisite: that it loves me back. It can mean a partner, a friend, a couch, an action, a book. Food. Especially food. Food you eat should love you back, hard.

Most people don’t know what food loves them back. {Unless it’s obvious like eating a jar of nutella, then you will know immediately that it DOESN’T}. Figuring out which foods feel good for your body can be dumbfounding. Because books can’t answer that question. Most doctors can’t, either. The entire internet can’t. Trust me, I’ve searched. It’s not some buried treasure Agatha Christie-style mystery. It doesn’t live in the clusterfudge of differing opinions of the media and nutritionists. No one can answer this question for you.

I hesitated to call this the “best” bolognese sauce, because bolognese is a loaded word. Swoop over regions of Italy and kitchens of cooks and restaurants of chefs and you’ll get a clustereff of opinions and ingredients. This thick, meaty sauce is typically made from a variety of meats, aromatics, maybe some garlic, maybe some herbs, maybe some extra cured pig product, maybe a little white or red wine. It can be fussy and take becoming a slave to the pot on your stove. There is a time and place for this, of course. It’s crazy traditional to do so. But frankly, sometimes I’m not in the mood. What I’m always in the mood for is easy and good.

“Healthy” no longer holds meaning in my world. How can it when it’s thrown around haphazardly like a hacky sack? It’s been hard for me to break up with it. Everyday I get asked: “But is it healthy? Can I eat it all the time? What about just a tiny portion? What about just for breakfast? Or for dinner? Four hours before dinner? What if I eat it in secret, does it count? What about only on my cheat day? Can I have a cheat day?”